Citadel’s Griffin Files for Divorce

Anne Dias Griffin and Ken Griffin attend a gala for the Whitney Museum of American Art at Skylight at Moynihan Station in New York.

Bloomberg News

CHICAGO — One of the hedge-fund industry’s power couples is splitting up.

Ken Griffin, founder of approximately $21 billion Chicago hedge-fund firm Citadel LLC, filed for divorce Wednesday from his wife of 11 years, ex-hedge-fund manager Anne Dias Griffin, according to a filing in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.

Attorneys for Mr. Griffin, 45, wrote in the filing that the pair have been separated for more than a year and cited “irreconcilable differences” that caused “the irretrievable breakdown of their marriage” as reasons for the divorce.

“Any attempt at reconciliation would be impractical and not in the best interests of the family,” the filing stated.

The brief filing offered few details, beyond that the couple signed a prenuptial agreement that Mr. Griffin contends is still valid. They have three children, the eldest of which is six years old, the filing said.

Mr. Griffin has been a long-time presence in the hedge-fund industry. He earned an estimated $950 million in 2013, and $900 million in 2012, according to trade publication Institutional Investor’s Alpha.

She has hired as an attorney Robert S. Cohen, who earlier represented the model Christie Brinkley and the late actor James Gandolfini. Mr. Cohen’s office referred an inquiry to the public relations firm Sard Verbinnen & Co., which issued the following statement on Mr. Cohen’s behalf, dated July 23:

“Ken Griffin unilaterally filed a divorce petition today with no notice to either me or my client, knowing full well that she had just left for summer vacation with their three young children and would therefore be unable to respond. Anne’s highest priority remains her family, especially the wellbeing of her children. She is hopeful that this personal matter can be resolved privately and in the best interests of her children.”

One of Mr. Griffin’s attorneys, Karen Krehbiel, said in a statement: “This is a personal matter, and the family asks for privacy as they work through this process and focus on the well-being of their children.”